Tale of the Lost Dates in Ba Sing Se
by inactiveGE
Summary: Zuko meets Sokka while he’s on a date, and Sokka enlists Zuko into an awkward experience. Timing of the events in Ba Sing Se irrelevant here. Zuko/Sokka


Title: Tale of the Lost Dates in Ba Sing Se

Author: Greenleyiusm

Fandom: Avatar: the last air bender

Pairing: Zuko/Sokka

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these character.

Summary: Zuko meets Sokka while he's on a date, and Sokka enlists Zuko into an awkward experience.

It was Friday night at the tea shop, and things were hustling. Iroh welcomed and thrived in the environment; Zuko stared deadpan at the girls he served who asked about his relationship status, if only to avoid further embarrassment.

Perhaps his Uncle had noticed his currently stricken demeanor because, perhaps as a relief effort, he assigned Zuko table number 12, where thankfully no females lay.

He approached the table quietly, head kept down to avoid female admirer's gazes. "Hello there, welcome to the Tea Shop, may I take your order?"

"I've got this babe."

"How many times have I told you, I'm not your babe."

Zuko was at times, dense. So dense, in fact, he hadn't thought that if he looked up, the voice he recognized as Sokka's would immediately recognize his face. Shit.

"We'll have two jasmines, I guess, with a side of sugared biscuits?" The other young man sitting opposite the shocked and speechless Eskimo was leaning back on his stool majestically in an almost obscene manner.

"Yes, right away." He said quickly, before a scene could be made.

"Zuko." Perhaps Zuko should have been grateful that the nonbender didn't actually yell it.

He had, however, grabbed a hold of his apron string.

"My name is Li." He said , turning around and gesturing to his nametag.

Sokka gave him a calculating look. Then all hell broke loose.

"Oh my god, I've missed you so much!" he said with a flurry, basically falling from the chair into Zuko's surprisingly available arms. "I thought you were dead…" Zuko felt Sokka's fingers clench into his shirt. "I…I never got to tell you…how much…I loved you." Zuko was about to come out with some sort of defense, though all the present thoughts forming in his brain sounded something more like "WHAT?" and to add to the lack of coherency "FUCK?"

The ever perceptive Sokka, however, seemed to sense this almost-speech attempt and so his head immediately lifted from the crook of his neck and placed a finger to bar his lips from opening.

"I know. I'm sorry too. Our last goodbye was anything but pleasant. I know you asked me not to shed a tear for you, but it was all I could do to just remind myself that there were other people I had to take care of."

A heart felt sigh echoed in the tea room.

Zuko snapped his horrified gaze and discovered to his mounting horror and disgust a group of girls at the table next to him who looked like they were about to expire from joy.

"Li."

As if this situation weren't absurd enough, Zuko turned his head to see what he wanted now and was surprised into a kiss.

And to his surprise, and his conscience's eternal confusion, his tense body softened and he closed his eyes, bringing his hands up to grip Sokka's forearms affectionately.

"The hell?" The guy Sokka had previously been on a seeming date with was standing, unknowingly echoing Zuko's inner conscience which was also apparently very wildly on edge. Zuko and Sokka broke apart to stare at him from their current positions. "I thought you were single."

"Back off." Zuko barked, bringing his arms to encircle Sokka's shoulders.

"Can't believe this shit…" (Again, Zukko's conscience couldn't agree more.)The guy kicked the stool he had been sitting on and stalked out.

When he was gone, Sokka looked up at him, a subtle look of curiosity and bewilderment shining in his eyes.

"Sit." He grit out. "And stay. I'll bring you your tea. It's going to be a house blend and you're going to like it."

Sokka only squeaked an agreement as a pressure on his shoulder forced him into a seat. Zuko turned and the entire shop, including his uncle at the counter, was staring at him with a dreamy glaze in their eyes.

Zuko palmed his face in quiet agony.

When the last customer left, and Sokka was still quietly sipping his tea, Zuko nodded to his uncle, throwing off his apron. His uncle's only passing comment was an overjoyed "We will have more customers than ever now."

Zuko sighed and with hunched shoulders quietly reached the table, placing a hand on the wooden surface in front of Sokka's to announce his presence.

He took a seat opposite the water tribe guy, and tapped his fingers on the wooden surface. "Well? I want an explanation."

Sokka had been staring at his tea the whole time, and he sheepishly looked up from them. "Katara set me up on a date. She's so…stubborn. And that guy,"he made a comical face of disgust, "I swear he hasn't bathed in weeks."

Zuko affirmed this with his nodding head. "I thought he smelled." He raised another eyebrow at Sokka. "You didn't rat me out."

Sokka shrugged his shoulders. "I needed a way out, you appeared, it was the perfect outlet! And I figured, you were so nice playing along, why should I rat you out? It's obvious you've been cured of your evil heart since I'm still here unflayed and breathing."

Zuko rolled his eyes at the expression. "So where do we stand now?"

Sokka's look was priceless. "It was just a kiss! I didn't promise lifetime commitments or anything!"

Zuko smirked. "I mean are you going to try to kill me now that you know where I work?"

Sokka visibly relaxed. "Oh. Well, I'm not planning on telling you where the avatar is if that's what you're asking." Sokka narrowed his eyes.

Zuko had expected this. "Of course." He remarked dryly.

"But…I guess I'm not planning on telling the Avatar where you live either."

"Fair enough."

Sokka looked around the tea shop. "So…I guess I could probably interrogate you, but I think I've bothered you enough for tonight…" He began to stand, but Zuko's hand lashed out and held onto his wrist.

"Let me buy you a cup of tea." The yellow in Zuko's eyes glinted with something not malicious.

"Uh…"

"I'll let you interrogate me."

Sokka peered at him suspiciously, but Zuko kept a completely straight fac.e

"And afterwords, I'll let you strip search me in the bedroom." Sokka visibly turned three shades redder.

That's when Iroh chose to barge between them. "Who wants some TEA?" He said with a closed eyed wide grinning face, but when he noticed Zuko's death like grip on Sokka's wrist, Iroh's eyebrows rose several notches. "Nephew, I hope before you decide to ask for his hand, that you consult the proper relatives first. I'm sure this nice young man has a family that can be notified."

Sokka died laughing when Zuko was the one whose face melded into the same color, including the burnt part. The situation became light enough, that Sokka conceded to sit down.

"Uncle could you just…bring us some tea and cookies?"

"It would be my pleasure." He said, smiling especially pleased at Sokka in a very meaningful way. Though in this case Sokka thought the older man saw him more as a plausible in-law than the friend of the avatar they had met so long ago.

When they had been left alone with the snacks, and Sokka was done finding out Zuko's life story, at least the last year of it, he asked in a much softer and less demanding tone. "Why did you kiss me back?"

The lights were dimming in the shop, possibly a deliberate firebending tactic used by his uncle. The traffic in the streets outside was all but gone, and a cool night breeze shifted the scent of jasmines through the half open window and into the humble tea room.

Zuko faced Sokka, gaze soft. "Your eyes were screaming for help."

"Oh…?" Sokka's found his breaths becoming shallow. "Sorry…if I ruined any dates you might have."

"It's fine…I wasn't interested in anyone." And oh god how was he not choking on every word he spoke?

"Really?" He felt Sokka sounded almost too enthusiastic. "Want to meet again tomorrow night? I know this great poetry place!"

"Um…"

"Plus I have like this, amazing allowance from the earth kingdom so we could also catch one of those plays! I've also been looking for a new sword…you know about swords right?"

Zuko felt like he was losing ground rapidly, so in a last ditch effort to take action, he said loudly and obstinately "I know about swords.", which actually didn't sound as affirmative action as he was aiming for.

Sokka nodded encouragingly. "So we'll meet up for lunch, go sword shopping, catch…" He eyed Zuko up and down, evaluating him, "Love amongst the Dragons, and then I'll bring you back here!"

Zuko actually choked over the fact that Sokka had guessed his child hood love for Love Amongst the Dragons. His mouth formed an O shape, and though he wasn't sure what he was going to say it was a fifty-fifty chance for an objection.

Sokka intervened once more. "Oh, right, I should ask your uncle first. I mean…you work and all."

And the sly devil mystically appeared behind the counter, as if he had been there all along listening in. He flapped his hand while the other held a towel. "Of course Zuko can take the day off. I know a lovely young lady who wishes to try her hand at tea serving," he looked around for theatrics then whispered conspiratorially, "Although I'm sure that wasn't the only thing she wanted to try when she interviewed for a job.", and winked at Zuko specifically, much to his nephews internal combustion.

And so it was settled that, despite having no affinity or prior dating experience with the same sex, Zuko would be going on a date with Sokka, the younger's treat, and they would be going to lunch, shopping, followed by one of Zuko's favorite plays.

And after an exhausting day of finding not the right sword at all, some food poisoning, and a touching rendition of the play his mother loved and brought tears to his eyes, he kissed Sokka goodnight on his doorstep in thanks and the promise to dinner the next night.

Unfortunately the next night never happened, as Zuko and Iroh served tea to the deliberately disguised fire nation, and Sokka and the Avatar and what not flew away en masse in a freakout.

But.

BUT. Katara thought she saw something below the flying Appa near the land they had just deserted, and Toph said she definitely heard a familiar voice, and Sokka looked down and squealed and urged Aang to go DOWN.

And that was how Zuko and Iroh were picked up by Appa and had their first conscious experience on a flying bison.

Zuko considered himself lucky enough to have someone's hand to hold the entire frightening way, being happy to hear the whispering that they would get their dinner after all.


End file.
